By Debora Ragland Buerk
The Write Stuff
Looking at life from a different point of view.

Italian Artisans at Work.

With its rolling vistas and sprawling vineyards, beautiful Tuscany is known equally as the cradle of the Renaissance and a center of culinary delights and astounding wines. Throughout the emerald-green countryside dotted with cypress trees, endless delights unfold. Among them is Florence, a living museum of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi’s famous Duomo dominates the medieval cityscape—an architectural achievement that took nearly 150 years to complete. Much of the city’s history was overseen by the hulking Palazzo Vecchio, a fortress-palace that has been the symbol of civic power in Florence for over seven centuries. The imposing palace rests on the Piazza Della Signoria and its gallery of statues, including a replica of Michelangelo’s “David.” Another Tuscan treasure, the Square of Miracles, unfolds in Pisa. A trinity of masterpieces—the Leaning Tower, Pisa Cathedral and Baptistry—comprise some of Europe’s finest art and architecture, each with its own fascinating history.